Nothing to Prove

I have a secret for you: Nobody is okay, fine, great. But, goodness, we are all tired of trying to pretend we are.

We need a new way to live.

I should warn you, there is a full-on war to keep you from finding it. If heaven and God and angels and demons are all real, then a real enemy is out to claim all that is good and free and peaceful and joyful in us. We start by realizing we are not alone. We start by recognizing that, indeed, all hell will be out to get us if we decide to live free and enjoy grace.

Ben Rector, one of my favorite musicians, often puts words to music in a way that expresses truth. He wrote, “Sometimes the devil sounds a lot like Jesus.”

We’ve been deceived by the lies of an enemy who knows exactly how to twist our thirst to his purposes. And we desperately need to open our eyes to his perverse tactics.

IF I WERE YOUR ENEMY…

If I were your enemy, this is what I would do:

Make you believe you need permission to lead.

Make you believe you are helpless.

Make you believe you are insignificant.

Make you believe that God wants your decorum and behavior.

Make you believe you have something to prove.

My new book, Nothing to Prove: Why We Can Stop Trying So Hard, comes out on January 31st and I wrote this book for me, for you, for my sisters, for my daughters, for my people. I wrote this book because I spent too many years believing I had to prove something--my value, worth, purpose. I spent too many years thinking I needed to live for God instead of with Him.

Too many of us have bought into the lie that our cravings will be satisfied if we are enough and if we have enough. So we chase image, answers, things, and people—and we wonder all the while, “Why am I still thirsty?”

My single goal with this book is to lead your thirsty soul to the only source of lasting fulfillment: Jesus. He is the living water, a limitless supply that will not only quench your thirst but will fill you and then come pouring out of you into a thirsty world.

I promise this is worth it, you guys. I was just with a lot of my college girlfriends this weekend. And they said, "Jennie you are so different than you have been. You seem so at ease, so much happier." (And some of you know the week I had last week, so this was said in the midst of a lot of stress.) It is this message that has sunk in and changed me. I am at rest in Jesus in a real way--more than I have ever been before. I actually believe I am not holding everything together. I am ok if things blow up around me. I am present and connected to people more deeply than I ever have been. Praying that for all of you.

Because of Him, you are loved. You are known. You can take a deep breath.

Because you have nothing to prove.

You can start reading the book now when you pre-order a copy from your favorite retailer! Check out all the details on how to redeem the free chapters, catch the video, and keep up with the latest news about the book over at JennieAllen.com/NothingtoProve.

Psssst: You crazy people bought tickets to IF:Gathering 2017 so quickly that we sold out in 2 minutes! Guess what? We’re giving away TWO IF:Gathering Golden Tickets over on the book website too. The Golden Ticket gives you a lifetime pass to IF for you and a friend. No more missing out or waiting at your computer for tickets to go on sale! See you there?! Enter to win your tickets here. The winner will be chosen on January 6th.